Today, the National Football League is one of the biggest tournaments in the world of sports. It is a result of the combined hardships and struggles of several people that helped to raise a league of this grandeur. To reward and recognize the trailblazers behind the success of this league, the Ralph Hay pioneer award is given to such athletes. This year, the Forgotten Four are selected for smashing the race barrier in the NFL and introducing a new era of athletes.

The pack of Rams veterans Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, and Hall of Farmers Bill Willis and Marion Motley of the Cleveland Browns are famously known as the Forgotten Four. In 1946, these athletes became the first four from the African American society to get drafted into the NFL. This encouragement helped the forthcoming youngsters pursue the game seriously and become a part of the new NFL franchises later on.

“The selection of these four men as the Ralph Hay Pioneer Award winners could not be more fitting,” Hall President Jim Porter said. “Individually and collectively, they made one of the most profound cultural shifts in pro football history when they broke pro football’s color barrier, thus ending years of racial segregation. Their pioneering role not only opened the door to opportunity for generations of NFL players to come, but it also changed the game forever,” he added.

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The award will be presented along with this year’s Hall of Fame enshrinements on August 6th at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Since its inception in 1972, only nine athletes were honored for making significant innovative contributions to professional football.

For how many seasons have these athletes played in the NFL?

The 2022 winner of the Ralph Hay Pioneer award, Kenny Washington, played for two seasons with the Rams. His abrupt injury sidelined him from making a comeback. Before joining the league, he played for four years in semi-pro football with the Hollywood Bears.

Woody Strode also played for the Rams in 1946. He was 31-year-old at that time but only played for one season with the franchise. The defensive middle guard Bill Willis played for the Cleveland Browns for eight seasons. He was inducted into the pro football hall of fame in 1977.

While Marion Motley is a war veteran who played for the Browns in 1946. He got inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. Motley was a fast runner and thus reincarnated Browns as a formidable side with a dominant passing attack.

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